Joan of Arc Biography Part 13

By Jules Michelet The Maid of Orleans

Delivered up to the Duke of Bur
gundy, she was taken to Arras, and
then to the donjonkeep of Crotoy,
which has long been covered by the
sands of the Somme. From this place
of confinement she looked out upon
the sea, and could sometimes descry
the English downs - that hostile land
into which she had hoped to carry war
for the deliverance of the Duke of
Orleans. Mass was daily performed
here by a priest who was also a pris
oner, and Jeanne prayed ardently;
she asked, and it was given unto her.

Though confined in prison, she displayed her power all the same; as
long as she lived, her prayers broke
through the walls, and scattered the
enemy.

On the very day that she had predicted, forewarned by the archangel,
the siege of CompiSgne was raised -
that is, on the Ist of November. The
Duke of Burgundy had advanced as
far as Noyon, as if to meet and expe
rience the insulting reverse personally.
He sustained another defeat shortly
afterwards at Germigny (November
20). Saintrailles then offered him
battle at Peronne, which he declined.

These humiliations undoubtedly confirmed the duke in his alliance with the
English, and determined him to deliver
up the Pucelle to them. But the mere
threat of interrupting all commercial
relations would have been enough.

Chivalrous as he believed himself to
be, and the restorer of chivaly, the
Count of Flanders was at bottom the
servant of the manufacturers and the
merchants. The manufacturing cities
and the flaxspinning districts would
not have allowed commerce to be long
interrupted, or their works brought to
a standstill, but would have burst
forth into insurrection.

At the very moment the English
had got possession of the Pucelle, and
were free to proceed to her trial, their
affairs were going on very badly. Far
from retaking Louviers, they had lost
Chateaugalliard. La Hire took it by
escalade, and finding Barbazan a pris
oner there, set that formidable captain
at liberty. The towns voluntarily
went over to Charles VII., the inhabi
tants expelling the English: those of
Melun, close as the town is to Paris,
thrust the garrison out of the gates.

To put on the drag, if it were possi
ble, while the affairs of England were
thus going rapidly downhill, some
great and powerful engine was neces
sary, and Winchester had one at hand
- the trial and the coronation. These
two things were to be brought into
play together, or rather, they were
one and the same thing. To dishonor
Charles "VII., to prove that he had
been led to be crowned by a witch,
was bestowing so much additional
sanctity on the coronation of Henry
VI. ; if the one were avowedly the
anointed of the Devil, the other must
be recognized as the anointed of God.

Henry made his entry into Paris on
the 2nd of December. On the 21st of
the preceding month, the University
had been made to write to Cauchon,
complaining of his delays, and be
seeching the king to order the trial
to be begun. Cauchon was in no
haste; perhaps, thinking it hard to
begin the work before the wage was
assured, and it was not till a month
afterwards that he procured from the
chapter of Rouen authority to pro
ceed in that diocese. On the instant
(January 3, 1431), Winchester issued
an ordinance, in which the king was
made to say, " that on the requisition
of the bishop of Beauvais, and ex
horted thereto by his dear daughter,
the University of Paris, he commanded
her keepers to conduct the accused to
the bishop." The word was chosen to
show that the prisoner was not given
up to the ecclesiastical judge, but only
lent, '' to be taken back again if not
convicted." The English ran no risk,
she could not escape death; if fire
failed, the sword remained.

Cauchon opened the proceedings at
Rouen, on the 9th of January, 1431.
He seated the vicar of the Inquisition
near himself, and began by holding a
sort of consultation with eight doc
tors, licentiates or masters of arts of
Rouen, and by laying before them the
inquiries which he had instituted
touching the Pucelle, but which,
having been conducted by her ene
mies, appeared insufficient to these
legists of Rouen. In fact, they were
so utterly insufficient, that the prose
cution, which, on these worthless data,
was about to have been commenced
against her on the charge of magic ,
was instituted on the charge of heresy.

With the view of conciliating these
recalcitrating Normans, and lessening
their superstitious reverence for the
forms of procedure, Cauchon nomi
nated one of their number, Jean de la
Fontaine, examining counsellor {con
seiller examinateur). But he reserved
the most active part, that of promoter
of the prosecution (promoteur du
proces), for a certain Estivet, one of
his Beauvais canons by whom he was
accompanied. He managed to con
sume a month in these preparations ^
but the young king having been at
length taken back to London (Febru
ary 9), Winchester, tranquil on this
head, applied himself earnestly to the
business of the trial, and would trust
no one to superintend it. He thought,
and justly, that the master's eye is the
best, and took up his residence at
Rouen in order to watch Cauchon at
work.

His first step was to make sure of
the monk who represented the Inquisition. Cauchon, having assembled
his assessors, Norman priests and
doctors of Paris, in the house of a
canon, sent for the Dominican, and
called npon him to act as his coadju
tor in the proceedings. The shave
ling timidly replied, that " if his pow
ers were*judged sufficient, he would
act as his duty required." The bishop
did not fail to declare that his powers
were amply sufficient; on which the
monk further objected, "that he was
anxious not to act as yet, both from
scruples of conscience and for legality
of the trial," and begged the bishop to
substitute some one in his place, until
he should ascertain that his powers
were really sufficient.

His objections were useless ; he was
not allowed so to escape, and had to
sit in judgment, whether he would or
not. There was another motive, besides fear, which undoubtedly assisted
in keeping him to his post - Winches
ter assigned hiih twenty gold sous for
his pains. Perhaps, the Mendicant
monk had never seen such a quantity
of gold in his life.

TRIAL OP THE PUCELLB.

On February 21, the Pucelle was
brought before her judges. The
bishop of Beauvais admonished her
"with mildness and charity," pray
ing her to answer truly to whatever
she should be asked, without evasion
or subterfuge, both to shorten her
trial and ease her conscience. An
swer. " I do not know what you mean
to question me about, you might ask
me things which I would not tell you."
She consented to swear to speak the
truth upon all matters, except those
which related to her visions; "But,
with respect to these," she said, " you
shall cut oflF my head first." Never
theless, she was induced to swear that
she would answer all questions '' on
points affecting faith."

She was again urged on the follow
ing day, the 22d, and again on the
24th, but held firm. '' It is a common
remark even in children's mouths,"
was her observation, " that people are
often hung for idling the truth. At
last, worn out, and for quietness' sake,
she consented to swear " to tell what
she knew upon her trial, but not all
she knew."

Interrogated as to her age, name,
and surname, she said that she was
about nineteen years old. " In the
place where I was born,* they called
me Jehanette, aad in France Jehanne.
. . ." But, with regard to her sur
name (the Fucdle, the maid), it seems,
that through some caprice of feminine
modesty she could not bring herself to
utter it, and that she eluded the direct
answer by a chaste falsehood - " As
to surname, I know nothing of it."

* Domremy in Champagne, on the frontiers of
Burgundy would be distinguished in Joan's time
from France Proper.